Rider Updates
Aug 7 2013
Sorry everyone for the long stretch of time since I last wrote an update. On a positive note: I'm back to riding! My broken collar bone took longer to heal than I expected, but I was able to get back to normal without surgury...praise the Lord! There was a point where the doctors recommended my collar bone be plated because it was separating more, but I decided not to go through with the procedure. I believe it was the right decision to make.
Although I have not raced since my injury I have been putting in some seat time practicing. I did a few things to my bike while I was healing up, including adding a new hour meter. I've put 2.8 hours on the bike since feeling able to ride again. I also purchased a shoulder brace by EVS and that's helping to give me extra support while I ride. I've rode two different tracks and some trails and the bike setup seems perfect!
I hope to race the last weekend of August at Miles Mountain MX here in Elkland PA. My plan is to take it easy out there and I won't be hitting the big jumps anymore. They are just too risky and I can't keep getting hurt. I have a lot of responsibilities at home and at work. But with that said, I do still hope to be competative and not run in last position for the rest of my riding career :o)
Thank you to all my sponsors and supporters for hanging in there with me through my recovery. I believe there will be some off-road / harescramble racing in my future as well. But I'm far from finished with motocross!
Riding for The KING,
Jacob Ongley <><
PanicRev #777
Jun 2 2013
So here's some bummer news: I'm out with injury for the next couple months of racing :o(
My family and I decided to head west to visit my extended family for Memorial Day weekend and to take part in my grandpas 80th birthday party. Of course I decided to take the bike with me to get some practice in while I was near my home track of Countyline MX Raceway in Chapmanville PA. I rode Saturday with no issues and Jaime went with me to get some great pictures...thanks babe!
Monday practice didn't end so well. I arrived at the track around 9:00am and met a friend there for riding. We visited a while, rode a while, visited some more, rode some more and so on. Then a couple other guys showed up from their camp down the road so we rode with and visited with them as well. Then my friend Todd from work showed up for his first ride at a motocross track.
Anyway, we were having a great time riding a few laps then chilling out shooting the breeze. I decided to ride about four or five more laps before calling it a day and wen't one lap more than I should have. I was trying to push through tired muscles and a bit of a sick feeling in my stomach and ended up crashing hard on a big table top that used to be my favorite jump at this track...until this crash that is.
After review of my helmet camera footage it seems I hit a rock at the base of the jump takeoff and it threw me sideways, throwing me and the bike off the side of the track from around 8 feet in the air going around 40mph. Thanks to everyone there that helped me out I was able to make it to the hospital for some xrays.
The prognosis is a broken right collar bone, sprained left wrist, smashed right ring finger, some nasty gashes on my back, and a sore body,,,everywhere! The main thing that's going to hold me up of course is the broken collar bone. I have an appointment in two weeks for my first of many checkups to make sure it's healing properly.
May 22 2013
Right from the start here let me say how impressed I was with Swain MX resort. It's such a unique experience having a motocross track on the side of a ski slope and even cooler to have the ability to ride the ski lift throughout practice and races. You get such a awesome perspective watching the race from up in the air.
My parents watched the kids for us so this race was a nice opportunity for Jamie and I to get away for a couple days by ourselves. Jamie finally had a chance to use here new camera and boy did she ever take some pictures...like over 800!!!
We arrived at the track Saturday, set up camp (consisting of primitive camping and a 10x10 canopy), then rode about 10 practice laps. I felt pretty good on the track. It was dry and rocky, which I actually prefer over muddy conditions. So I was felling excited for Sundays race.
Camping was interesting with train tracks very close by, which just happened to blow it's horn ALL night. And we had some noisy neighbors that enjoy the night life more than we do. But it was still fun and saved us the cost of a hotel plus we benifited from the convenience of being right at the track for all the activities.
To save from wrtting on and on, race day Sunday was kinda mixed for me. Moto #1 in the 450 beginner class was full with 23 riders. I was about mid pack half way through lap 2 and my bike stalled...and absolutely would NOT start. So I had to push it back to my trailer and settled for a dissapointing 22nd place (there was one person who did not finish the first lap so that's why I wasn't dead last). I also fell down two times before my bike stalled to this was not a good moto for me.
Moto #2 was much better. I got a bad start but was able to pass two riders on the last lap to finish in 13th place. I was happy to be in the battle and beat at least a few poeple to the finish line.
Jamie and I are looking forward to catching the next race at Swain M
Apr 21 2013
So it finally came...the opening race for the 2013 outdoor motocross season at Miles Mountain MX. The temps were a bit cold but the sun was shinning and the track was packed with riders from near and far. I decided to run the 450 beginner class this season since I haven't raced MX since 2002. There were 11 riders in my class. Miles Mountain does a nice job providing a wide variety of classes. Overall there ended up being 19 classes for the day, of which my class was 18. So I got to do a lot of watching other riders as I waited approximatly 2 1/2 hours for my turn on the track.
Once my time finally came to race my moto, I geared up and headed to the gate. Super nervous, I picked the first gate I saw and hoped for the best! I got a pretty bad start and ended up toward the back of the pack. I felt very comfortable on the track and the crf450 was running awesome! I ended up crossing the finish line in 8th place.
After another few hours it was time for moto 2. I felt a little more at ease with moto 1 already completed so I lined up at the gate with the goal of finishing a little better than the last race while still keeping the bike on two wheels! Off we went into turn number one. I got a little better start but still not very good. Once again I felt very good on the bike and I was able to pass a couple people during the moto, putting me in 7th place as I crossed the finish line.
It was a really awesome day. I got to meet some cool people, get away by myself for a bit to clear my mind, and put in some solid laps without ever hitting the ground! I praise God for keeping me safe on the track and for making my first "comback race" a real memorable one. Thank you PanicRev Ministries and all my other sponsors for your support. I appreciate every one of you and wouldn't be able to do this without you.
Riding for The KING,
Jacob Ongley <><
Mar 23 2013
Just made it home from my second snow race at Broome Tioga. The weather was on the chilly side but nice for snow riding. The track conditions were actually much better than the last race I ran here. I decided to run the Novice class again since I didn't finish all that well at the last race. There were 9 riders total in my class.
I had a rough start, stalling the bike right off the bat. But once I got going I felt much more comfortable on the bike. This was my first race running my new Rekluse automatic clutch, and let me tell you, it helped me tremendously in these slick conditions! Not having to pull the clutch in for an hour helped me save a lot of energy. Plus the new clutch kept me from stalling out every 100 feet like the last race (slight exageration). I highly recommend the Rekluse clutch system for anyone like me who doesn't get to ride much and wants a little added comfort and ease of riding out on the track.
The biggest scare I had at this race was when I tagged a tree and broke my front fender. Thankfully I didn't get hurt. I would much rather fit broken parts on the bike than broken parts on me!
There is one more snow scramble at the beginning of April that I may run. But I'm really looking forward to the outdoor season...without snow! I'd like to give a special shout out to all my sponsors and supporters. A special thanks to PanicRev Ministries for letting me ride for them this season, and to God, for keeping me safe out there through all the crazy danger that racing a dirtbike brings. Until next time, God speed!!!
Riding for the KING,
Jacob Ongley <><
Mar 10 2013
Finally made it to Broome Tioga for a winter snow scramble! I got to the track at 10:30am, filled out my paperwork, picked up a transponder sticker for my helmet, and got registered. I could tell right away that the race would be filled with challenges. The majority of the track was covered with a few inches of snow. And the tough part it that the temps outside were expected to reach nearly 50 degrees...leading to melting snow and increased mud throughout the day.
Before lining up at the gate, I took a little time to get all my gear on and stretch out. It wasn't long until they announced over the loud speaker that it was time for my class to line up. I decided to run the novice class since I've never rode a dirtbike in the snow and haven't raced a bike in several years. That turned out to be the best class I could have been in.
To make a long story short, it was a really really tough race. Most of the people in my class had already raced at Broome Tioga at least once before so that put me at a disadvantage. Plus the studs I was running in my tires weren't nearly as agressive as what most of the other riders were running. Most riders were putting in 10-14 minute laps, except for two riders who did not even finish the first lap. I had a rough time getting around the course and only got one lap in...which took me 46 minutes! And that was a long 46 minutes let me tell you! So I ended up getting 9th out of 11 riders because of the two riders who DNF (did not finish).
I plan on being at the next race in two weeks and hope to vastly improve my placement. It was a great experience and now I feel better prepared for when I race at Broome Tioga again. I would like to send a shoutout to all my sponsors and supporters. I'm really looking forward to this race season!
Riding For The KING,
Jacob Ongley <><
Jan 24 2013
I was not able to attend the Winter Snow Scramble race that I had scheduled for Saturday January 19th at Broome Tioga due to my wife and I coming down with the flu. I plan on racing at the next one as my sickness has gone and I hope to be healthy for the remainder of the 2013 race season!
Nov 19 2012
Had an awesome time at my last ride for the 2012 season. It took place at Five Star Cycle, a KTM dealership just outside Saegertown PA. The weather was picture perfect for this time of year in northwestern PA...pushing 50 degrees and bright sunshine! I rode alongside 92 other riders for the day.
Five Star had three different trails set up and each rider was able to choose which one to ride and even allowed us to mix things up by riding more than one of the trails. There was a less agressive trail marked out with FLY Racing arrows and a more agressive trail marked out with KTM arrows. There was also an outdoor MX track to ride on.
I chose to spend most of my day on the MX track as that's the main style of riding I will be doing in the upcoming race season. It was my first real ride on my new Honda CRF450 and the bike did not dissapoint! Strong power and suspension that seems well suited for my weight and riding style. I'm very happy with my new bike!
The scoring for this event was based more on luck than riding speed. Every rider was allowed to find and turn in five christmas bulbs. There was a variety of colors, each being worth an unknown number of points. I picked up mostly green bulbs hoping they were of the most value. I ended up placing 36 in points out of 93 riders so I was pretty pleased with that outcome.
I would like to say a special thanks to Five Star Cycle for putting on this great ride every year. It's a totally free event and I, along with all the other riders, really appreciate all the work they put into making this such an awesome event. I would also like to thank my wife Jamie for going along with my this year and taking some really nice pictures. It's nice to have such a fun ride documented through photography. I want to thank all my sponsors. It's an honor to ride for each and every company that is standing behind me in my racing efforts. And last but not least I want to than